Karen Hoskin is known as a vanguard of the rebirth of American Rum. When she started Colorado’s craft distillery Montanya Distillers in 2008, few people knew there was a strong American rum tradition or mountain rum tradition. Craft cocktails were not yet a major US trend and rum was considered the wild west of spirits. Karen helped change those perceptions while steering the distillery to double-digit growth every year. In 2019, that success secured minority investment from Constellation Brands, which Karen is leveraging to build the distribution footprint worldwide. She continues to have a strong hand in inspiring the US market to respect and love American Rum, embrace craft cocktails, put rum into the best cocktails, and understand the mountain rum tradition. She is a respected speaker and industry leader on all aspects of distilling science, distilling business, mixology, bar and restaurant business and sustainability.  

When Karen began the craft rum distillery Montanya Distillers in 2008, she was one of the only women in a male-dominated industry. As a distiller and a distillery owner, she had to work more than twice as hard as her male peers to gain respect, buy materials, sell her products and be safe from sexual harassment. Karen also experienced firsthand the reality that female-owned businesses have a much harder time securing funding from banks, investors and venture capital firms. Despite the barriers, Karen built a company that produces double-digit growth annually and secured venture capital from Constellation Brands’ Focus on Female Founders venture fund in 2019. Today, she remains committed to mentoring and providing opportunities for women in distilling. She is also the founder of The Women’s Distillery Guild, which is now part of Women of the Vine and Spirits (WOTVS).

Julie is an innovative change leader, sales & marketing executive, career coach, educator and podcast co-host.  She has over 15 years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry, spanning various roles in Sales, Human Resources, Marketing, and Commercial Strategy. Julie uses her diverse experiential background to create impact and results that are customer centric and collaborative.  As a proud Korean American, Julie is passionate about supporting the AAPI & marginalized communities and empowering women in their career journey.  Julie is an advocate for Diversity, Inclusion and Equity; she actively serves on the WSWA Talent & Diversity Council, WSWA Women’s Leadership Council and as an Executive Sponsor for Southern Glazer’s National Employee Resource Group, Caregivers C.A.N., dedicated to supporting those that provide direct care for others. 

In her role as VP On Premise at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, Julie is responsible for the overall direction of the sales & marketing strategy and execution of the Beam Suntory Portfolio for Hotels, Restaurants, and Bars across the USA.  Notably, she is co-host and co-creator of Southern Glazer’s Served Up – The Podcast, a source for beverage professionals to advance their skills, customer experiences, and work environments through insights and ideas shared by celebrated leaders in social justice and industry influencers.  Julie studied at the University of Anchorage Alaska in business administration, Women in Leadership Program at Columbia Business School and is a certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers, Level 2 Wine & Spirits, WSET and Level 3 Sake, WSET.

Raised by a single mother and an immigrant, Julie’s values are rooted in a strong work ethic and entrepreneurship through managing her family owned restaurants and seafood export business as a young adult.  Julie’s career launched at FedEx Express Anchorage, where she worked in International Customer Service and developed the first T&E (Transport & Export) Standard Operating Procedure for the Anchorage Hub.  As a licensed Realtor, Julie excelled during the real estate boom and learned the importance of creating life-long relationships built on trust and detail management of critical processes.  Following a life-changing incident, in 2007 Julie made the move from Anchorage, AK to Miami, Florida where she reconnected with her passion in hospitality and discovered her home in Wine & Spirits. 

Julie lives in Miami with her husband, Ross Milroy, their son, Keane Milroy and Zelda, their beautiful Australian Labradoodle.  The Milroy’s are culture and food enthusiasts and love traveling the world.  In their spare time, you will find them dining out in Miami, fishing in the everglades, exploring the reefs in the Florida Keys, and skiing in the Rocky Mountains.